Today I’ll take you through the fifth in our series of Movement Monday workouts. We will work on some deadlift prep, front squat mobility, and shoulder mobility. Then of course, we’ll finish off with something to get your heart rate going a bit. I want to start, however, with going over the importance of the major exercises for which we are prepping.
In the first circuit, you will perform movements that will help you prep for and perform a proper kettlebell deadlift. These exercises mainly are turning on your “core” and warming up your glutes to perform the deadlift. The kettlebell deadlift develops almost every major muscle group – from the lower back, glutes, hamstrings, to adductors and abdominals. It also works grip strength. A solid deadlift is a precursor to performing the kettlebell swing since it teaches the proper hinge position required to perform the swing.
The second circuit will prep you to perform a racked kettlebell front squat. With a racked front squat, you will be training not only lower body strength, but a tremendous amount of core strength. By loading the kettlebells in front of you in a racked position, you put your core on overdrive and force it to maintain position. Additionally, the kettlebell front squat takes your lats out of the equation and forces you to stabilize without them. In this circuit, we will prep for the squat by performing some ankle and hip mobility drills. In order to obtain full range of motion in a squat, you need enough dorsiflexion in your ankles at the bottom of your squat so your heels do not come off the floor. Additionally, at the bottom of the squat, you also need to have a significant amount of hip flexion to perform a proper squat.
The third circuit is prepping your shoulders for the finisher. The high-pull is a precursor to the snatch. It’s often taught to allow athletes to perfect the movement of the bell during the mid-point of the snatch. To prep for it, we need to prep the shoulder. The kettlebell windmill is often mistaken for simply being a hip exercise. While it is that as well, it more importantly requires a dynamic range of motion, mobility, and stability and constantly fires and stabilizes the rotator cuff. Note that the arm bar we perform in that circuit has similar benefits to the windmill; however, the movement is not dynamic.
Enjoy this week’s workout!
Deadlift Prep
A1)Weighted ASLR 8 reps/side
A2) RDL 5/5
A3) Half Kneeling Pallof Press x 5/5
A4) Double Conventional DL x 10
Front Squat Mobility
B1) Leg swings x 10
B2) Frog stretch x 1 minute
B3) 1 minute goblet hold
B4) Front squats x 3-5
Shoulder Mobility
C1) Lacrosse ball to lat
C2) Arm Bars x 30 seconds/side
C3) Bottoms Up TGU 1/1
Finisher
5 – 1 Arm Hi Pull R/L
5 – 1 Arm Swing R/L
5 Goblet Squats
Repeat 3 – 5x with 30 -45 seconds rest in between sets
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